Lactose

Lactose is a disaccharide made of glucose and galactose, found naturally in milk. The enzyme lactase breaks it into its component sugars.

Lactase: Lactase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and galactose. This intestinal enzyme performs the reaction that breaks lactose apart.
Glucose: Glucose is a six-carbon monosaccharide that serves as a major energy source in organisms. It is one of the two monosaccharide units in lactose.
Lactose fermentation: Lactose fermentation is the microbial conversion of lactose into products such as lactic acid and gas. It drives acidification during the production of many cultured dairy foods.
Sucrose: Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. Like lactose, it contains two sugars, but its components and dietary sources differ.
Lactose intolerance: Lactose intolerance is digestive discomfort caused by insufficient lactase activity in the small intestine. Undigested lactose can cause symptoms when lactase activity is too low.
Galactose: Galactose is a six-carbon monosaccharide and a structural isomer of glucose. It is the second monosaccharide unit in lactose.
Yogurt: Yogurt is a fermented milk product made by bacterial cultures that acidify milk. Yogurt cultures ferment lactose as they produce lactic acid.
Maltose: Maltose is a disaccharide composed of two glucose units. It is another familiar disaccharide, with a different pair of sugar units.
Lactic acid fermentation: Lactic acid fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugars into lactate and regenerates NAD⁺. Gut microbes can ferment lactose that escapes digestion in the small intestine.
Disaccharide: A disaccharide is a carbohydrate composed of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic bond. Lactose belongs to this class of two-unit sugars.

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